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By Mandy Taheri and Joshua Rhett Miller
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Journalist Don Lemon vowed to keep reporting after a judge refused to sign a complaint tied to his recent presence at a protest at a Minnesota church, saying on his podcast that threats aren’t “gonna stop me from being a journalist” and telling the Trump administration to “keep trying.”
"The magistrate’s reported actions confirm the nature of Don’s First Amendment protected work this weekend in Minnesota as a reporter," Lemon's attorney Abbe David Lowell told Newsweek in an email statement Friday morning. "Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court."
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump's second term has largely been characterized by his immigration and border security agenda—issues he emphasized heavily during his campaign in 2024—vowing to carry out the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history when it comes to illegal migrants and criminals.
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Since December, Minnesota has been at the epicenter of the federal government’s immigration efforts, with many local Democrats calling for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to leave Minneapolis.
Tensions escalated earlier this month after two separate shootings involving ICE agents—one that killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old American citizen, and another that left Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis injured during an attempted detention.
What To Know
Protesters disrupted a religious service at Cities Church in St. Paul on Sunday. They claimed one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, also heads the local ICE field office responsible for operations, which have ramped up in Minnesota over the past month. Demonstrators chanted “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.”
The DOJ opened a civil rights investigation into the group's protest on Sunday. That quick move contrasted with the DOJ's decision not to open a civil rights investigation into ICE agent Jonathan Ross’ use of force in Good's death.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in a series of Thursday X posts that Homeland Security officials and FBI agents, at her direction, arrested three people in relation to the protest. “Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” she wrote.
She identified the three individuals as Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly.
Lemon, a former CNN anchor, was present at the demonstration and was livestreaming it. Trump called Lemon a “loser, lightweight,” in a press briefing on Tuesday.
On Thursday, a magistrate judge did not sign off on a complaint charging Lemon in connection to the church disruption. Lemon has said he was there as a journalist and not as a demonstrator. Meanwhile, Lowell told Newsweek that "it was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist."
In a social media clip filming inside the church, Lemon said “we’re not part of the activist but we’re here just reporting on them.” He conducted interviews with both church goers and protestors.
In a Thursday video segment after the news of the dismissal, Lemon said, “I stand proud and I stand tall,” noting that the administration is going to “try again, and they’re gonna try again.”
He continued: “Keep trying. That’s not gonna stop me from being a journalist. You’re not gonna diminish my voice. Go ahead make me into the new Jimmy Kimmel, if you want. Just do it. Cause I’m not going anywhere.”
Lemon previously told Newsweek that he stands by his reporting and it is "notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist—especially since I wasn’t the only reporter there. That framing is telling."
He added: "What’s even more telling is the barrage of violent threats, along with homophobic and racist slurs, directed at me online by MAGA supporters and amplified by parts of the right-wing press.”
...
What People Are Saying
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said during a Fox News appearance: “You’re not allowed to stop people from worshiping, and you’re not allowed to intimidate or impede them. And so, the individuals that went in there and did that — and you can tell that they had a plan. You can tell they had an agenda. You cannot do that in this country, and we’re investigating it, and I expect we will move very aggressively and very quickly to find the people that did this.”
Nekima Levy Armstrong, speaking Tuesday: “You cannot lead a congregation while directing an agency whose actions have cost lives and inflicted fear in our communities. When officials protect armed agents, repeatedly refuse meaningful investigation into killings like Renee Good’s, and signal they may pursue peaceful protesters and journalists, that is not justice—it is intimidation.”
President Donald Trump wrote in a Tuesday Truth Social post: “Just watched footage of the Church Raid in Minnesota by the agitators and insurrectionists. These people are professionals! No person acts the way they act. They are highly trained to scream, rant, and rave, like lunatics, in a certain manner, just like they are doing. They are troublemakers who should be thrown in jail, or thrown out of the Country.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem wrote on X Thursday: "Religious freedom is the bedrock of the United States—there is no first amendment right to obstruct someone from practicing their religion."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote in a Thursday X post: “This is a gross abuse of power. The federal government is picking and choosing who to investigate – going after protestors and not the person who shot and killed one of our neighbors. I am calling for Nekima to be released immediately.”
Protestor William Kelly previously told Newsweek: “We did our thing, we raised our voices. We were never asked to leave and as you see on the videos, I lectured these so-called Christians for supporting this madness. Going into a church that supports ICE is completely the opposite of the words Jesus preached, and so I said that to them.”
What Happens Next
Tensions in Minnesota continue to flare and more developments related to the case are expected.
Updated 1/23/26, 12:44 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with Lowell's comment.
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